Arsenal was unable to reclaim the Premier League lead on Thursday due to a 2-0 loss to West Ham, while Tottenham were defeated in a six-goal spectacle at Brighton.
Despite being in first place at Christmas for the second year in a row, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal trail league leaders Liverpool by two points at the midpoint of the campaign.
As disciplined visitors, the runners-up from the previous year dominated possession at the Emirates but failed to capitalize on the opportunities presented by Tomas Soucek and former Arsenal player Konstantinos Mavropanos, who both scored.
In the thirteenth minute, Soucek scored from close range after Jarrod Bowen passed the ball; the goal was deemed official after an extensive VAR review determined whether the ball had exited play.
At the half-hour mark, West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola executed a superb reaction save on a Bukayo Saka header as Arsenal stormed forward in unrelenting surges.
As the clock wound down towards halftime, the England winger missed the post from a narrow angle, but Arsenal trailed at the interval despite having nearly three-quarters of the possession.
The Gunners entered the game with the intention of responding, but were down 2-0 after Mavropanos’s thunderbolt header deflected in off the crossbar following a corner kick by James Ward-Prowse.
Gabriel Jesus, who was in a prime position, failed to defeat Areola with a header and then wasted another golden opportunity shortly thereafter with his head at the back post.
Arsenal continued to assault the visitors’ goal but were unable to make progress; a late penalty by Said Benrahma could have made the situation even worse.
The Gunners are in second place with 40 points following their defeat, one point ahead of Aston Villa and three points in front of Manchester City, who possess a game in hand.
Arteta stated that his team’s dominance warranted more.
“We want to be at the top and today we are very, very disappointed,” he indicated to the BBC.
“Our dominance in the game was immense.” We are in an exceptional circumstance. The evening of today is disappointing. “We must prepare ourselves for a crucial match against Fulham.”
He further stated, “The players exerted tremendous effort.” Currently, the locker room is a challenging environment, but we have another game in 72 hours. “This is football; there are specific areas in which we must improve.”
Ahead of schedule, West Ham manager David Moyes gushed over his squad’s ascent to sixth place.
“We do not rank among the best teams,” he informed Amazon Prime. “Our objective is to rise and expand the crew. It is a wonderful time for West Ham to be in Europe (they finished first in their Europa League division).
A Spurs saga
Tottenham, the early pacesetters of this season, remain in fifth place after falling to Brighton 4-2 despite threatening an astounding recovery from a 4-0 deficit despite facing Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.
Jack Hinshelwood scored the game-winning goal for the host team with a forceful strike after Joao Pedro weaved through the area surrounding the penalty area.
Pedro capitalized on the penalty kick opportunity presented to Brighton in the 23rd minute subsequent to Dejan Kulusevski’s penalty kick for a draw on Welbeck.
After halftime, Richarlison, a forward for Brazil, had the ball in the net twice but was deemed offside both occasions.
In the 63rd minute, Pervis Estupinan extended the lead with a 30-yard missile, and Pedro added a second penalty twelve minutes later.
In the 81st minute, Alejo Veliz scored what appeared to be a consolation goal, but it invigorated the visitors.
Ben Davies scored from Pedro Porro’s wide cross as Spurs threatened to break through with each forward surge; during nine minutes of stoppage time, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck the post.
However, despite the intense strain, Brighton managed to secure all three points.
De Zerbi told the BBC, “I am incredibly fortunate to be the coach of this team with these players.” “Their passion is immense; they possess every quality imaginable “
“Remember, we are situated in Brighton.” They occasionally fail to recognize that we are in Brighton. “Brighton remains, despite not being Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle, or Arsenal.”